Driving-gear for bicycles



(No Matinal.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

0. HANSBR. DRIVING GEAR FOR BICYCLES. No. 367,293.

M mlmmlllllllglIlllllllllmlrIlHflllll'lbrllllilnmum Patented July 263, 1887.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.v

0. HANSER.

DRIVING GEAR POB. BIGYGLBS.

(No Model.)

Patented July 26,1887.

N. PETERS. Plmmutnognphqr, washnmun. D4 C PATENT OEFICEO OTTO HANSER, OF'ROCKVIJLLE, CONNECTICUT.

DRIVING-G EAR FOR BICYCLES.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 367,293, dated July' 26, 1887.

Application tiled March 30, 1887. Serial No. 233.095. (No model.)

.To all whom, it may concern.

Be it known that l, OTTO HANsER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rockville, in the county of Tolland and .State of Connecticut, have invent-ed a new and useful Gear to be Used in Bicycles, of which the following is aspecilication.

The object of my invention is, iirst, to increase the speed of any bicycle two, three, or more times through the means of gear-wheels; second, to provide the necessary ratchet-box to apply the speeded motion ofthe gear to the propelling-wheel or the bicycle-wheel proper; third, lo provide the necessary hub of the propelling-wheel; fourth, to afford the necessary bearings for properly steadying the propelling-wheel on the axle. I attain these objects by mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is the entire view .of the improvement on and in a bicycle-wheel, one half being the horizontalsection and the other half being the top view of it. Fig. 2 shows the vertical section of anaxle as improved at the line of the cross-shaft d. Fig. 3 shows the ratchet-box and the notched ring as detached from the hub or flange. Fig. 4 is a side view of the bearings,with the ring and ils cavities holding rollers.

' The axle consists of three shafts. One, the innermost, is a solid rod, a, passing through the entire length of the axle, nutted on both sides, `keeping framepwheel, and everything nicely in place.

The second shaft, b, is a strong tube covering the rod a. It reaches from outside the propellingfwheel to the center of it. It transfers the driving-power to a central disk which has a toothed bevel on each of its sides. There are two tubes, one on each sidc, secured to this central disk at a vertical angle by means of metaly plates screwed on the tubes and then fastened to the wheel or disk. The third shaft, c, is to be a still shaft, covering the driving-tube, one on each side of the disk, which it does not touch. lts inner ends have shoulders or supporters and suitable bearings,

`through which the cross-shaft d from small Wheel 2 passes, and is thus held in its proper position. Passing through the flange F outthrough the hub or flange F, and since itself is Vimmovable itwill prevent the vsmaller wheels 2 and 3 and their shafts d from moving, so that they cannot slip around with the disk when in motion.

`Gear-wheel l or disk is in the center of the propellingwheel, tight to the tube b. Ve might call it the driving-wheel, set in rotation by the power of driver outside the propelling-wheel and transmitted by the drivingtube b. This wheel 1 is bevel-geared on both sides. On each side there is a wheel, 2, of small diameter, also bevel-geared correspondingly to the larger wheel, with which it engages; but it turns so many more times as its diameter is smaller than that of the larger disk l. Its speeded motion is carried across the axle by a. rod or shaft, d, to which it is keyed. This rod d rests upon and is kept in position by suitable bearings, c, on the supporter c of the tube c. This sliaftdtransmits the speeded motion of wheel 2 across the axle to another set of miteriwheels, one of which, 3, iskeyed on this rod d The other wheel, 4, ofthesame diameter, rides on the tube c. The wheel 4 is called a wheel7 only because of its bevellgear corresponding to thatof wheel 3. In fact,this gear 4 is secured to a ratchetbox, 9'. Thus the same speeded motion of wheel 2 is by bevelgearing imparted to this ratchet-box, which again turns the propelling-wheel proper at its own rate. This ratchet-box 9 inside of the wheel (one for each side) is of course withonta spring-chamber; but where on its outer side Wall the bevel-gear 4 is secured it has on its inside the pawl-ring 7', or rather only strong projections or tangs, in which the pawls 'l0 are hinged, which spread into the notched ring 8', extending from the wheel over these pawls. The friction piece or band 7 rides and rubs on the tube c, but directly forward of the pawls 10, to which it is connected by means ot' a link, 9, hinged both in the friction-piece and pawls. The pawls l0 turn the notched ring 8 the saine moment when the bevel-gear outside is set in rotation,and at the same rate.

The hub consists of the two ianges F, one on each side of propelling-wheel, each greatly thickening toward its center and bearing on tube c.

IOO

The beariugs,Fig. 4,are ofpeculiar construction. They are designed to serve two purposes-hrsg to reduce the friction of the ilan ge or hub F on the axle to a minimum. Rollerbearings are best adapted therefor.

The rollers consist of two cylinders or heads, r, held together by a strong pin, n, itself freely turning in the cylinders. To prevent the rollers from rolling together, the pins are laid in a ring or collar, in, the periphery ot' which is eut out atintervals nearly as deep as the pins u are thick. This collar turns around the axle c without touching it, while the small cylinders or heads 1' roll easily between the thick tiange and axle. The other purpose of these rollers is to steady each side of the wheel. lf the rim receives a blow or shock, the wheel is likely to bulge out at its center. Ordinarily the hub connecting both sides prevents that; butin this case the rollers must prevent the outward bulging. Therefore the hub or flange F is eut on its broad ridingface exactly to lit the form ofthe rollers, the middle of the riding-surface extending down so as to almost touch the neck or pins n ot' the rollers r, and the two sides p and p to rest and roll on the roller-heads o'. It is best to make the llange at its center of three plates firmly screwed to one anotl1er-the thickest one where the greatest strain is. The outermost plate, p, and innermost plate, p', ride 0n the roller-heads 1, while the middle plate, o, extending farther, almost touches the neck of the rollers. Thus the bulging of the wheel is prevented, because the middle plate, o, is held f fast an d steady between the two roller-heads 1', the roller s also being prevented from moving outward by butting against the metal plate cL from tube c, secured to the frame.

I am aware that ratchet-boxes are used to propel a bicycle in which pawls are operated by a friction-piece; also, that roller-bearings are applied to bicycles.v I do not claim, therefore, such contrivances, broadly; but

Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. ln the propelling-wheel ofa bicycle, the combination of tubes covering the axle or rod a, and transmitting the power to a central rotary disk having a toothed bevel on each of its sides, as described.

2. In the propelling-wheel of a bicycle, the

combination of a central rotary bevel-geared wheel with awheel on each side of said eentral wheel, but of smaller diameter than that of said central wheel, also having abevelgear corresponding to that of said central wheel,by which it is set in rotation, but revolving so much quicker as it is smaller than the central wheel, all as shown, and for the purpose specified.

3. In the propeliingwhcel of a bicycle, the combination of rods serving as axles to the wheels 2, to which they are keyed at one end and crossing the fixed tubes c, having their bearings on the shoulders of said fixed tubes c, with other bevel-geared wheels 3, respectively keyed on the other end of 'rod d, com municating the rotation of wheels 2 to wheels 3, substantially as shown.

4. The combination of a bevelgear, LL, corresponding to and set in rotation by the bevelgear of wheel, with a ratchet-box, 9', to which it is secured, substantially as set forth.

5. A propelling-wheel for a bicycle, having the ratchet-boxes and driving mechanism, in which the pawls are hinged in strong tangs 7, extending from rear wall about or little more than midway between that shaft and thenotchring, thus leaving the shaft entirely free (excepting a space for the frictioubaiul) for the central part of hub deeply to enter into the ratchet-box, all substantially as set forth.

(i. A bieyclewhecl comprising two flanges, each flange being provided with a notch-ring on its inside to engage drivingpawls and thickened toward its center or bearing'faee, and shaped upon its bearing-face to tit the rollers 1, in combination with said rollers r, and a col lar fitting over the pins of the rollers, upon which the heads of the rollers turn freely, as set forth.

7. The combination, in a bicycle, ofthe following elements, namely: two tubes, each covering a tube, I), and support-ing a crossshaft, tl, and a ratchet-box and bearing of a llange, F, and a metal plate secured upon the end ot the tube and to the frame of the machine, all substantially as described.

GUs'rAv HILDnnRANDT, MARY Hansen. 

